About the film (courtesy of Marvel Studios):
Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) aka Black Widow confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger.
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, your wait is FINALLY over to be able to enjoy the continuation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the setting in which it was made for. Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019) was the last film released in theaters, serving as the epilogue to Phase 3 of THE most ambitious and far-reaching franchise in film history. Delays due to the global COVID-19 pandemic forced eager fans to put the fictional universe on the back burner for much longer than anticipated. Fret not as these last 738 days have flown by (wink, wink) and we’re now heading into Phase 4 with Black Widow set to kick things off!
I’ll state this right off the bat, don’t expect much in terms of big reveals as to what’s to come in this latest Phase. That being said, we’re all pretty much left in the dark as to what Marvel Studios has in store for the future. Maybe in a few years we’ll all be kicking ourselves at the foreshadowing that dangled right in front of our noses. But that’s speculation The Internet is free to have on its time. Let’s talk Black Widow.
Scarlett Johansson is back as Natasha Romanoff in this standalone origin-ish story that takes places soon after events of Captain America: Civil War (2016), but before Avengers: Infinity War (2018); much in the way that a very effective and enjoyable Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) was shoehorned in between Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005) and Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977).
Black Widow is very gratifying in that we really get to understand and appreciate just what makes Natasha Romanoff the person that she is and why she’s sort of a lone wolf. Not that she wasn’t before, but this narrative humanizes Natasha in such a way that we are able to see her vulnerabilities as she struggles with the conflicts that her early life brings into play. While tough as nails on her exterior, it’s her soft underbelly that gives audiences an emotional connection.
A trend that is seemingly continuing is the slightly darker nature that the Marvel films are taking. There’s still comical quips here and there along with bubbly banter, but the tone definitely has more of a bit to it. And simply with the family challenges that Black Widow brings with it, there is much more of a dramatic effect throughout. This is where seasoned veterans such as David Harbour, Rachel Weisz and even Ray Winstone come into play. Each have been in more than a few of their fair share of emotionally charged roles and their experience shows in this production.
Florence Pugh is a nice younger equalizer to Scarlett Johansson with their characters playing well off of one another. There’s good sibling chemistry present that builds throughout the film. And the fact that they can go toe-to-toe and it’s believable, whether it’s physical or verbal, makes for a more palatable partnership.
On the action front, Black Widow brings exactly what you’d expect to see from a Marvel-caliber production. There’s much more hand-to-hand fisticuffs due to the fact that we aren’t dealing with gods, aliens or super-gadgetry. This one is more like blunt force sprinkled with graceful maneuvers as well as the discharging of a firearm or twenty.
Black Widow maintains a decent level of entertainment while not completely blowing me away, as some of the previous entries have. That being said, the status quo is maintained and it’s nice to know that Marvel Studios hasn’t started mailing it in. Disney+ series originals, WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, may both provide viewers with more of a direct impact on the future of Phase 4, but there’s still a good deal that could affect future movies as the franchise moves forward.
The wait will officially be over soon enough as Black Widow will be available in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access on Friday, July 9th. How can you not want to see this?
